You'll recall that, in order to justify crackdowns on immigrants (or anyone suspected of being one), Republicans from states that line the border with Mexico spent much of last year scaring the daylights out of average Americans by convincing them that these areas are awash in spillover violence from the Mexican drug war. Before long, the metaphorical yet menacing south-of-the-border drug trafficker became the Willie Horton of the immigration debate.
It worked. People were so frightened that they eagerly went along with the idea of local and state police lending a hand to federal immigration officials by asking for proof of legal residency or citizenship from anyone who they had a "reasonable suspicion" might be in the country illegally.
Personally, I never understood how hassling housekeepers, nannies and gardeners helped authorities crack down on drug traffickers. I mean, how many jobs do these people have? They clean houses and mow lawns by day, and run a multimillion dollar a year drug smuggling operation by night?
The drug dealer narrative would have held together much better if some of these Republican fearmongers hadn't gotten carried away.
